The objective of this study was to observe the effect of Astragalus membranaceus on high sugar-induced Caenorhabditis elegans, and to explore its mechanism of action. UPLC-MS method was used to identify the components of Astragalus membranaceus. A high glucose model was established by using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism, and the effects of Astragalus membranaceus on body length, body bending, swallowing frequency, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) of the nematode were determined; the effects of Astragalus membranaceus on the expression of mRNA of genes related to the protein skinhead-1 (SKN-1) signaling pathway were examined by using the real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results showed that compared with the normal group, the nematode body length, body bending, and swallowing frequency expression were significantly reduced and the ROS content in the body was significantly increased in the high glucose state; after the administration of Astragalus membranaceus, the body length, body bending, and swallowing frequency expression were significantly increased, and the ROS content was significantly reduced (P < 0.01). Compared with the normal group, SKN-1, superoxide dismutas-3 (SOD-3), glutathione S-transferase 4 (GST-4), and glutathione S-transferase 7 (GST-7) expression were significantly decreased in Caenorhabditis elegans in the high glucose condition; SKN-1, SOD-3, GST-4, and GST-7 expression were significantly increased after administration of Astragalus membranaceus (P < 0.01). In the present study, we demonstrated that Astragalus membranaceus has an effect on high glucose-induced Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes, and its mechanism of action may be through the modulation of the SKN-1 signaling pathwaym in order to ameliorate the oxidative stress response induced by high glucose.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the distribution characteristics of non-bacterial pathogens in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children. METHODS: A total of 1 788 CAP children admitted to Shenyang Children's Hospital from December 2021 to November 2022 were selected. Multiple RT-PCR and capillary electrophoresis were used to detect 10 viral pathogens and 2 atypical pathogens, and serum antibodies of Chlamydial pneumoniae (Ch) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) were detected. The distribution characteristics of different pathogens were analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 1 788 CAP children, 1 295 children were pathogen-positive, with a positive rate of 72.43% (1 295/1 788), including a viral pathogen positive rate of 59.68% (1 067/1 788) and an atypical pathogen positive rate of 22.04% (394/1 788). The positive rates from high to low were MP, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza B virus (IVB), human metapneumovirus (HMPV), human rhinovirus (HRV), human parainfluenza virus (HPIV), influenza A virus (IVA), bocavirus (BoV), human adenovirus (HADV), Ch, and human coronavirus (HCOV). RSV and MP were the main pathogens in spring; MP had the highest positive rate in summer, followed by IVA; HMPV had the highest positive rate in autumn; IVB and RSV were the main pathogens in winter. The positive rate of MP in girls was higher than that in boys (P<0.05), and there were no significant differences in other pathogens between genders (P>0.05). The positivity rates of certain pathogens differed among age groups (P<0.05): the positivity rate of MP was highest in the >6 year-old group; the positivity rates of RSV and Ch were highest in the <1 year-old group; the positivity rates of HPIV and IVB were highest in the 1 to <3 year-old group. RSV, MP, HRV, and HMPV were the main pathogens in children with severe pneumonia, while MP was the primary pathogen in children with lobar pneumonia, and MP, IVB, HMPV, RSV, and HRV were the top 5 pathogens in acute bronchopneumonia. CONCLUSIONS MP, RSV, IVB, HMPV, and HRV are the main pathogens of CAP in children, and there are certain differences in the positive rates of respiratory pathogens among children of different ages, genders, and seasons.
Humans ; Child ; Female ; Male ; Infant ; Child, Preschool ; Pneumonia ; Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human ; Antibodies ; Community-Acquired Infections ; Hospitalization ; Influenza B virus ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae

β-Klotho (KLB) is a member of the Klotho protein family, which is mainly distributed in organs and tissues such as the liver, fat, pancreas, and brain. KLB is a single-pass transmembrane protein whose structural characteristics determine that KLB acts as a co-receptor for fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 19/21 targeting the activation of fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFRs). KLB is involved in the regulation of blood glucose, lipids, body weight, bile acid circulation, and hepatocyte proliferation in the FGF21/19-KLB-FGFRs pathway. This paperwill review the structural characteristics and distribution of KLB, as well as the regulatory mechanism of material energy and its role in tumor formation in the FGF19/21-KLB-FGFRs pathways.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical and genetic characteristics of a patient with Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome type 5 (HPS-5). METHODS: A child with HPS-5 who had attended the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University on October 3, 2019 was selected as the study subject. Clinical data of the child were collected. Genetic variant was analyzed through high-throughput sequencing. A literature review was also carried out. RESULTS: The child, a 1-year-and-5-month-old girl, had nystagmus since childhood, lost of retinal pigmentation by fundus examination and easy bruising. High-throughput sequencing revealed that she has harbored compound heterozygous variants of the HPS5 gene, namely c.1562_1563delAA (p.F521Sfs*27) and c.1404C>A (p.C468X), which were inherited from his father and mother, respectively. Based on the guidelines from the American College for Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), both variants were predicted to be pathogenic (PVS+PM2_Supporting+PM3+PP4). Among 18 previously reported HPS-5 patients, all had had eye problems, and most of them had tendency for bleeding. Eight cases had carried compound heterozygous variants of the HPS5 gene, 8 carried homozygous variants, 2 carried double homozygous variants, and most of them were null mutations. CONCLUSION The c.1562_1563delAA(p.F521Sfs*27) and c.1404C>A (p.C468X) compound heterozygous variants of the HPS5 gene probably underlay the HPS-5 in this child. High-throughput sequencing has provided an important tool for the diagnosis. HSP-5 patients usually have typical ocular albinism and/or oculocutaneous albinism and tendency of bleeding, which are commonly caused by compound heterozygous and homozygous variants of the HPS5 gene, though serious complications have been rare.
Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Hermanski-Pudlak Syndrome/pathology* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Mutation

This study investigated the mechanism of Zexie Decoction(ZXD) in promoting white adipose tissue browning/brown adipose tissue activation based on the GLP-1R/cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway. A hyperlipidemia model was induced by a western diet(WD) in mice, and the mice were divided into a control group, a model group(WD), and low-, medium-, and high-dose ZXD groups. An adipogenesis model was induced in 3T3-L1 cells in vitro, and with forskolin(FSK) used as a positive control, low-, medium-, and high-dose ZXD groups were set up. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence results showed that compared with the WD group, ZXD promoted the expression of UCP1 in white and brown adipose tissues, and also upregulated UCP1, CPT1β, PPARα, and other genes in the cells. Western blot analysis showed a dose-dependent increase in the protein expression of PGC-1α, UCP1, and PPARα with ZXD treatment, indicating that ZXD could promote the white adipose tissue browning/brown adipose tissue activation. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining results showed that after ZXD treatment, white and brown adipocytes were significantly reduced in size, and the mRNA expression of ATGL, HSL, MGL, and PLIN1 was significantly upregulated as compared with the results in the WD group. Oil red O staining and biochemical assays indicated that ZXD improved lipid accumulation and promoted lipolysis. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining for p-CREB revealed that ZXD reversed the decreased expression of p-CREB caused by WD. In vitro intervention with ZXD increased the protein expression of CREB, p-CREB, and p-PKA substrate, and increased the mRNA level of CREB. ELISA detected an increase in intracellular cAMP concentration with ZXD treatment. Molecular docking analysis showed that multiple active components in Alismatis Rhizoma and Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma could form stable hydrogen bond interactions with GLP-1R. In conclusion, ZXD promotes white adipose tissue browning/brown adipose tissue activation both in vivo and in vitro, and its mechanism of action may be related to the GLP-1R/cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway.
Mice ; Animals ; Adipose Tissue, Brown ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; PPAR alpha/metabolism* ; Adipose Tissue, White ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism*

Objective:To analyze the distribution of clinically isolated fungal strains and their resistance to common antifungal drugs in Shandong province.Methods:Through the Shandong Children’s Bacterial & Fungal Drug Resistance Surveillance and Research Collaborative Network, a total of 1 030 fungi were collected in 46 hospitals of Shandong province from January 1 to December 31, 2018. The source and type of strains were analyzed, and antifungal drug sensitivity tests were performed by using the micro-dilution method. Whonet 5.6 and SPSS 22.0 were applied to analyze the data.Results:The overall main strains were Candida albicans (38.74%, 399/1 030), Candida tropicalis (16.99%, 175/1 030) and Candida parapsilosis (16.41%, 169/1 030); the main fungi strains in child patients were C. albicans (52.50%, 63/120), C. parapsilosis (12.50%, 15/120) and C. tropicalis (9.17%, 11/120); the main fungi strains in adult patients were C. albicans (36.37%, 331/910), C. tropicalis (17.03%, 155/910) and C. parapsilosis (15.27%, 139/910). The isolation rate of main Candida strains from January to March and August to December was much higher than that of other months. The drug resistance rates of C. albicans to fluconazole and voriconazole were 7.14% and 7.43%, respectively, and the drug resistance rates to itraconazole were 50.44%. The resistance rates of C. tropicalis to fluconazole, voriconazole and itraconazole were 29.05%, 23.29% and 48.65%, respectively. The sensitivity rates of C. parapsilosi to fluconazole, voriconazole and itraconazole were 93.06%, 93.75% and 94.44%, respectively. Candida glabrata showed a dose-dependent sensitivity rate of 2.33% to fluconazole. Analysis of 244 blood fungi strains showed that non-candida albicans bacteremia accounted for 70.08%. In the pathogen spectrum covering 92.22%, fluconazole was sensitive to 64.65% of the pathogens, voriconazole was 68.88%, and amphotericin B was 88.75%. After quantification, the effective rates of fluconazole, voriconazole and amphotericin B in the clinical treatment of fungal bacteremia were 70.10%, 74.69% and 96.23%, respectively. Among them, the sensitivity rate of voriconazole to C. tropicalis was lower than that of fluconazole. Conclusions:Candida is the main clinical fungus isolates in hospitals of Shandong province. The resistance rate of C. tropicalis to azole antifungal drugs is on the rise, and the sensitivity of other Candida species to clinically used antifungal drugs is basically stable.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy between acupuncture-moxibustion treatment by stages and femoston for premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). METHODS: A total of 66 patients with POI were randomly divided into an observation group (33 cases, 3 cases dropped off) and a control group (33 cases, 2 cases dropped off). The patients in the observation group, based on the theory of "transformation of RESULTS: Compared before treatment, the serum levels of FSH and LH were decreased ( CONCLUSION Acupuncture- moxibustion treatment by stages based on the theory of "transformation of
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Female ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; Humans ; Moxibustion ; Primary Ovarian Insufficiency/therapy*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cytotoxic effect and its mechanism of the micromolecule compound on the leukemia cells. METHODS: The cytotoxic effects of 28 Nilotinib derivatives on K562, KA, KG, HA and 32D cell lines were detected by MTT assays, and the compound Nilo 22 was screen out. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle on leukemia cells were detected by flow cytometry. The effect of compound screened out on leukemogenesis potential of MLL-AF9 leukemia mice GFP RESULTS: Nilo 22 serves as the most outstanding candidate out of 28 Nilotinib derivatives, which impairs leukemia cell lines, but spares normal hematopoietic cell line. Comparing with Nilotinib, Nilo 22 could induce the apoptosis of GFP CONCLUSION Nilo 22 shows a significant cytotoxic effect on mice and human leukemia cells, especially for drug resistance cells. Nilo 22 is a promising anti-leukemia agent to solve the common clinical problems of drug resistance and relapse of leukemia.
Animals ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Cell Cycle/drug effects* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Humans ; Leukemia ; Mice ; Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein/genetics* ; Telomerase/metabolism* ; Telomere/metabolism*

OBJECTIVES: To study the association of amplitude-integrated electroencephalogram (aEEG) and the quantitative indices biparietal width (BPW) and interhemispheric distance (IHD) of cranial magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) with short-term neurodevelopment in moderately and late preterm infants. METHODS: A total of 104 moderately and late preterm infants who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit from September 2018 to April 2020 were selected as the subjects for this prospective study. The Naqeeb method and sleep-wake cycling (SWC) were used for aEEG assessment within 72 hours after birth. cMRI was performed at the corrected gestational age of 37 weeks. BPW and IHD were measured at the T2 coronal position. At the corrected age of 6 months, the Developmental Screening Test for Child Under Six (DST) was used to follow up neurodevelopment. According to developmental quotient (DQ), the infants were divided into a normal DST group (78 infants with DQ≥85) and an abnormal DST group (26 infants with DQ<85). Related indices were compared between the two groups. The association between aEEG and cMRI was evaluated. RESULTS: Compared with the normal DST group, the abnormal DST group had significantly lower aEEG normal rate and SWC maturation rate ( CONCLUSIONS For moderately and late preterm infants, aEEG within 72 hours after birth and the quantitative indices BPW and IHD of cMRI at the corrected gestational age of 37 weeks may affect their neurodevelopmental outcome at the corrected age of 6 months.
Electroencephalography ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Prospective Studies

Objective: To analyze the clinical data of a family with early-onset familial Alzheimer′s disease and to analyze the mutation of the pathogenic gene in the family. Methods: The clinical data of a proband who was clinically diagnosed as early-onset Alzheimer′s disease in the Department of Neurology, People′s Hospital of Zhengzhou University in October 2018 and her family members were collected. Moreover, whole exome sequencing was performed on blood sample from the proband, then its deleterious effects were assessed according to the Standards and guidelines for the interpretation of sequence variants, a joint consensus recommendation of the American College of Medical Genomics. Subsequently, the strong pathogenic mutation was validated by Sanger sequencing in the some members of the family and 50 sporadic Alzheimer′s disease and 50 normal individuals of the family. Apolipoprotein E (APOE) typing of 10 family members was all epsilon 3/epsilon 3. Results: The proband in this family showed decreased memory, visual space disorder, verbal repetition, personality change and abnormal mental behavior. The mutation at codon 717 of exon 17 of the proband amyloid precursor protein gene was detected by gene detection. The mutation at codon 717 of exon 17 of the proband beta-amyloid precursor protein gene was also found in the other five members of the family. The mutation was not found in 50 sporadic Alzheimer′s disease patients and 50 normal individuals outside the family. The proband′s head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed bilateral hippocampal atrophy on plain scan, especially on the left side. No obvious abnormality was found in the head magnetic resonance angiography. The head MRI of the proband′s sister showed brain atrophy and bilateral hippocampal atrophy. Conclusions The study identified the pathogenic mutation of the beta-amyloid precursor protein gene p.V717I in six patients of a family with early-onset familial Alzheimer′s disease, and the mutation showed a phenomenon of family segregation. This finding is of great significance to the study of early-onset Alzheimer′s disease in Chinese population.